EA Sports announces the return of ‘NFL Blitz’ in early 2012

After the reboot of NBA Jam received praise from critics and old-school fans alike, it seems only natural that EA Sports would want to revive Midway’s other classic over-the-top sports series, NFL Blitz. Much like its basketball predecessor, the NFL Blitz reboot will bring with it updated graphics, modern game modes, and a current roster of players.

The new Blitz title will feature several classic, modern, and online modes ranging from straight arcade match-ups against a friend or A.I. opponent, to “Blitz Gauntlet,” which will see players taking on a mix of NFL teams and “exclusive fantasy bosses,” in the “ultimate single player challenge.” There will also be a mode called “Elite League,” which, not unlike Madden NFL 12‘s “Ultimate Team,” will allow players to create fantasy teams of players based on collectible cards that are picked up over the course of play. The game will also run at a smooth 60 frames per second in full HD.

You may remember Midway, before going under, tried to revamp the Blitz franchise without the NFL license. Blitz: The League featured the same attitude and hard hits that NFL Blitz was known for, but, like 2K Sports’ non-NFL attempt, All Pro Football 2k8, the revamped series suffered from outdated controls and lack of current players.

Now, as Midway is forced to liquidate its assets, we see their franchises that we all grew up loving, like Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam, and NFL Blitz re-emerge under different development and publisher umbrellas. Here’s hoping that the NFL Blitz reboot receives just as good a treatment as the other mentioned Midway titles. NFL Blitz is set to launch digitally on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade in January 2012 for $15.

Brian Shea is VGW's Editor-in-Chief and one of the founding members of the site. In addition to leading the team at VideoGameWriters.com, he contributes such regular features as “Shea’s Say,” "Eleven Things," "Commercials from the Past" and “Essential Gaming."Follow Brian on Twitter